Winding Paths
by Kulani Tawanoki
Summary: BrokenClan, a clan of rogues, has killed the leader and medicine cat of TwilightClan. Spiritstar, the new leader, must join the four Woodland Clans before it's too late. But will something alter Spiritstar's outlook and stop her from getting her revenge?
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

A moonlight-bathed clearing stood out in a thick woodland area. At one end of the clearing stood a large stone with many sets of claw marks scored deep into it's face. Three cats sat on the top while many more conversed below.

"Where is the leader of TwilightClan? MoonClan will not be happy that they are late. Especially if the gathering is over and they never showed up." On top of the stone, a mud-colored tom meowed to the others on top, his amber eyes glinting impatiently. Another she-cat, a brown tabby with green eyes, flicked an ear at his general direction, not even bothering to look over.

"TwlightClan will make their presence known, Snakestar. EarthClan never has been patient, have they?" She pointed asked a third cat, a tom with a dark tabby pelt. The tom's whiskers twitched once in amusement while Snakestar narrowed his eyes into slits.

"Watch your words, Pebblestar, or your Clan will not live to regret them." Pebblestar spun around, her fur fluffing up in alarm and fury.

"Is that a threat against my Clan, Snakestar?" Snakestar opened his jaws to answer, but a commotion from another side of the clearing made all three Clan leaders look over in surprise. Another group of cats poured into the clearing, but did not mingle as the others did. A beautiful silvery-gray she-cat with white speckles dappling her pelt made her way to the great stone, her tail dragging in the dust. She bunched her muscles and leapt to the top, landing gracefully.

"Spiritmist?" Snakestar asked in surprise, looking at the silvery she-cat. "Why are you here? Has something happened to Redstar?" The words stopped all the talk in the clearing as everyone awaited the she-cat's response. Her head raised and her amber eyes met Snakestar, who was alarmed by the amount of grief in them.

"I will make my announcement to the Clans, Snakestar." Her mew was soft, though it carried through the silent clearing. A large white tom came up beside the large stone, his eyes full of concern for the young cat sitting on the top of the great rock. The dark tabby on top of the rocked brushed her shoulder with his tail, his eyes concerned as well.

"Then why don't you go first. I think the Clans are rather curious about what's been happening in TwilightClan." The silver-she-cat nodded graciously and stepped forward, putting her paws at the edge of the stone. She paused for a moment, and then opened her jaws.

"Cats of all Clans!" She yowled, her voice strong. The cats from all the other Clans looked surprised at the intensity of the normally very quiet she-cat's voice.

"TwilightClan has faced a hard trail. For the past three moons, we have scented rogues on the edge of our territory." Murmurs of surprise rippled through the gathered cats and Snakestar's eyes narrowed once more.

"And why did Redstar not tell us anything about this incident?" She spun around and glared at Snakestar, silencing him from any more outbursts.

"Redstar didn't think much of it. After all, what are a few rogues to the great Woodland Clans?" She paused, grief showing in her eyes briefly before she composed herself and continued. "Then, this past moon, the scent started to form into another Clan scent. They called themselves BrokenClan and threatened us with battle if we did not leave and give up our territory. Redstar refused. She told them to get out and stay out. They left, of course. Spitting their threats over their shoulders like a bunch of cowards.

"That night, they came again, skilled and battle-ready. Stormnight was on guard and sounded the alarm. It was the last sound that the brave warrior ever made. They came to kill and took no mercy. Redstar fought until she lost her last life. They deliberately killed Greenfoot, our medicine cat. We drove them off, but at a hard price. We lost many cats, but I promised my leader as she lay dying that I would carry on our Clan and I would not let it be driven out. I am the new leader of TwilightClan and Whitefire is my deputy. TwilightClan will survive." She yowled. Anxious, but respectful murmurings broke out among the rest of the Clans. Yowls agreeing with Spiritstar broke out among the TwilightClan group.

"Spiritstar, though we are very sorry for your Clan's loss, should the rest of us be concerned for our safety as well? Is this BrokenClan a threat?" Spiritstar looked over at Pebblestar and nodded.

"They are a threat to the entire forest. If they would, and could, kill a medicine cat and a Clan leader in one fight, imagine what they will do in another moon. The Clans will be wiped out." Panicked yowls broke out, many voting to leave the woods and find a new home to live in.

"Silence!" Snakestar yowled. "We must begin to prepare ourselves for battle! We must drive out this BrokenClan from the forest!"

"Yes!" Pebblestar cried. "We must protect our territories and our kits! We must fight off this menace!" The Clans looked at the only silent cat on the great stone. Oakstar, leader of SunClan, looked around at the gathered cats and then the other leaders.

"We shall meet again in one half moon. The treaty will still be intact. I doubt that MoonClan wants the Woodland Clans to be driven out so easily. Together, we shall drive this darkness from the forest!" Yowls of approval sounded from around the clearing.

"Let us then depart and take the news back to the rest of our Clan members. I'm sure we all need to think of a way to speed up the training of the apprentices." Agreeing meows sounded as the deputies of each Clan rounded up their Clan members and all ran into the undergrowth, back to their Clans and the prospect of battle.

* * *

**So, how was it? Did you think that I needed to put more detail in? Any grammatical errors? Let me know my mistakes and what I did right and I'll try to make it better in the next chapter. Thanks a ton, everyone!**

**Kulani .:Spiritmist:.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"All right, TwilightClan," the silvery-gray she-cat meowed, walking across a shaded clearing and leaping up onto a fallen tree trunk. "We've really got to get some patrols organized. Quickshadow. Take Hawktalon and Cloudpaw and patrol the border with BrokenClan. We should have to troubles with the other Clans right now because the treaty will still be intact for another half-moon. And Badgerclaw, take Streamheart and Leafember to go hunting." The gathered cats all went to do their assigned tasks as a large white tom padded softly up to his leader, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

"Isn't it the deputy's job to organize the patrols, Spiritstar?" He asked teasingly. Spiritstar's eyes widened and her head fell slightly. She sighed looking away from her deputy.

"I keep forgetting that Redstar is dead. I keep hoping that she'll come through the barrier and tell me that I'm too lazy." The tom brushed his tail across her flank, trying to comfort his leader. Everyone in the Clan knew that Spiritstar and the former leader Redstar had been extremely close.

"She's watching you from MoonClan, Spiritstar, don't worry. So, I'm going to organize some training sessions. I'll take Goldenblaze, Lightwind, and Mouseheart, if that's all right with you." Spiritstar nodded, regaining her composure and sitting up tall.

"Yes. That would be good, thank you, Whitefire." Whitefire nodded and padded away, calling to the cats that he had specified. Spiritstar looked around the clearing, observing the cats that she called her Clan.

Lightwind, a light ginger tabby tom and one of her warriors, burst out of a thorny thicket and ran across the small clearing and into a fern tunnel. A few heartbeats later, Lightwind ran over to Whitefire, nodding his head to him before going back into the thicket. A beautiful chestnut-colored she-cat padded calmly out of the fern tunnel with a wad of herbs in her jaws and disappeared into the thicket as well. Spiritstar's ears flicked in acknowledgement.

The thorn thicket was their nursery, the place where the kits are born and raised. It looked dangerous from the outside, but once you stepped inside, it was lined with ferns and moss and it was warm and comforting. Ravenfeather had been expecting kits for a while, so she figured that it must be time for them to come. She would have to congratulate Ravenfeather's mate, Lightwind, later.

A small white she-cat with ginger, black, and gray patches walked out of a bramble bush, shook any remaining moss of her pelt and walked over to her.

"Spiritstar? Can we go out and train today?" She asked. Spiritstar purred and flicked her ear with her tail.

"Maybe a little bit later, Wildpaw. I'm trying to figure out what's going on with Ravenfeather. I think she's having her kits." Wildpaw purred and rubbed her cheek against Spiritstar's.

"I bet you anything that she'll be fine when you come back from training with me, Spiritstar. Can't we go train? _Please_?" She begged, her amber eyes wide. Spiritstar purred and relented.

"Northwind. Could you watch the camp for me? I'm going to take Wildpaw out training." The white she-cat nodded, her dark tabby patches standing out in the light. Spiritstar and Wildpaw ducked out of a fern tunnel leading out of the camp. They ran in the woods before Spiritstar stopped and turned to her apprentice.

"All right, Wildpaw. What do you scent around here?" The small she-cat lifted her head, her jaws opening to take in the scents.

"I smell mouse, blackbird, raven, crow, and I smell a patrol of our cats. Quickshadow, Hawktalon and Cloudpaw I think." She nodded, pleased with her apprentice. She sighed softly. It was almost time for her to become a warrior. There wasn't much more she could teach her.

"Very good. Let's see your hunting crouch." Wildpaw almost instantly dropped down and slunk forward her eyes forward and determined. Spiritstar looked surprised before following her apprentice's line of sight and seeing a blackbird pecking at some berries on the ground. Wildpaw stopped a foxlength away before leaping and pouncing on it, killing it swiftly.

"I got it, Spiritstar!" She called from standing over her catch. Spiritstar's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Yes you did, Wildpaw. Now, let's cover that over and catch some more to take back to the Clan. Maybe we'll catch more than Badgerclaw's patrol." Wildpaw's eyes filled with amusement and determination and she slunk off into the undergrowth. Spiritstar turned to catch her own prey when she smelled her Clan scent coming toward her at top speed.

"Spiritstar! Spiritstar! Spiritstar!" A voice yowled frantically. A small black and white shape tumbled into her, trembling lightly. Spiritstar quickly recognized Cloudpaw, a new apprentice.

"Cloudpaw? What's the matter? Why aren't you on patrol with Hawktalon and Quickshadow?" Cloudpaw's flanks heaved as he fought for breath. Wildpaw burst over a large fern in one bound, a dead mouse hanging from her jaws.

"Cloudpaw? Hey, it's okay. Tell me what's wrong." She murmured softly to the young apprentice, licking his head after dropping her mouse. The little tom looked up at her.

"We scented BrokenClan on our territory." Spiritstar stifled an outraged yowl. Doing so would only scare the young apprentice even more. "W-well, Hawktalon did anyway. And then, after scenting the air, Quickshadow said that she did too. W-we went to investigate. Hawktalon made me promise that if we saw one of those pieces of foxdung, that I was to go find you immediately. A-and we only saw one, but he was _huge_, Spiritstar and-and…." The little tom trailed off into a horrified wail. Wildpaw kept using soothing licks on his head.

"Tell me where, Cloudpaw. And then you, Wildpaw, will take him back to camp. If Heatherfrost isn't too busy with Ravenfeather and her kits, then get her to look over him and give him something for the shock." Wildpaw nodded, never stopping her attempts to calm the little tom down.

"It was by the trail a few foxlengths from the big oak tree." He replied. Spiritstar nodded.

"Wildpaw. When you get back to camp, send Wolfsong or Smokewhisper to get Whitefire and his training session back at camp. I want it protected if BrokenClan attacks. Don't tell them why; just tell them that it's my orders." Wildpaw nodded in understanding and Spiritstar took off running as she was nosing Cloudpaw to his paws.

Spiritstar soon smelled BrokenClan scent and her vision had a red haze surrounding it. Her claws unsheathed and she picked up bits and pieces of moss that she would have to work to get out later, but she didn't care. If she could just sink her claws into the pelt of one of those blood-thirsty, fox-dung, crow-food-eating traitors to the warrior code, then it would make her day.

She skid to a stop before going into the clearing where her two warriors had their fur puffed up so that they looked twice their size and were glaring at a tom, their positions battle-ready. The haze lifted when she realized that the large gray tabby tom was standing completely still, his fur not ruffled in the slightest. She gave a start of surprise when she realized that his whiskers were even twitching in amusement at her warrior's attempts to frighten him.

She wondered why the red haze had retreated once she had seen the large gray tom. Then, like a flash of lightning, her leader ceremony flashed before her eyes

* * *

_A large black tom with a gray throat, underbelly, and paws padded up to her trembling form. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps from her last two lives, but she still managed to take in a large breath of shock and let out a shaky purr, rubbing her cheek against the tom's. _

"_Father…" She whispered softly. The tom purred and gave her a swift lick on the forehead. _

"_My daughter, I am so proud of you. I wish that I was still alive so that I could share this moment with you, but I am here in MoonClan, always watching over you. And I will continue until you join us in our ranks."_

"_I love you, father." _

"_I love you too, my precious kit." Then his eyes hardened as he began his task. "With this life I give you loyalty to what you know to be right. Use it well to guide your Clan in times of trouble." Her father touched his nose to hers and a searing bolt of pain entered her body. Her father's voice sounded close to her ear._

"_Use this, and do not take out your judgment for those that killed Redstar. Don't walk that bloody path, my kit." Blackfog stepped back into the ranks of StarClan as the next cat walked forward._

* * *

That was it. Her father gave her judgment to not take down the ranks of BrokenClan. It wasn't right to get revenge, no matter how much she wanted it. She stepped forward, calm and collected.

"Spiritstar!" Hawktalon let out a startled yowl, then his eyes hardened and his claws unsheathed. Quickshadow gave her an acknowledging flick of her ear, growling at the large gray tabby.

"Ah, so this is the new leader of TwilightClan. I am honored, Spiritstar." He meowed, his voice deep and dipped his head in respect. Spiritstar nodded, inwardly pleased that this brute had at least some manners.

"You have trespassed on my Clan's territory, tom of BrokenClan. Give me one good reason I shouldn't let my warriors claw your fur out." The tom looked at her nervously for a moment before his ears and tail drooped.

"I am sorry for my intrusion, Spiritstar. I felt ashamed for what my kin in BrokenClan did to yours and I came to see if you were okay and then offer my help if you needed it. And don't tell me that your Clan doesn't need help because I heard my kin talking about how they killed your Redstar and your medicine cat all in one swoop of their claws." Quickshadow tensed to spring.

"Quickshadow, Hawktalon, stand down." The two warriors stopped their battle positions, but the tense air didn't loosen. "I heard you say that your kin in BrokenClan did this to us. Are you not a part of this treacherous Clan yourself…?" Spiritstar trailed off, realizing that the tom never gave her his name. The tom obviously realized it himself and dipped his head again.

"I am sorry, my name is Fog. And no, I am not part of BrokenClan. My mother, father, and two brothers are, though. I do not wish to take any part in the bloodshed they've created for themselves. That's partially why I came to you. There was talk of how Spiritmist, the deputy of TwilightClan, was a weakling that judged everyone based on her emotions." Spiritstar bristled slightly, but Fog continued.

"I do not believe that your emotion make you weak. I believe that they make you strong. And I would like to ask, if you would not mind, tell me what your infamous emotions think of me right now, just as I am standing here." Spiritstar closed her eyes, trying to compose herself.

_What would Redstar do in this situation? Why do things like this always seem to happen to me? _A familiar scent trailed around her and she opened her eyes to see a dark ginger, almost red-pelted she-cat standing behind Fog. Spiritstar's eyes widened and she opened her jaws to call out to her.

"Do not call out yet, Spiritstar. They cannot hear nor see me. I came to give you guidance." Spiritstar nodded slightly, understanding.

"Invite this tom into your Clan. Say that he is a prisoner, but treat him as you would a Clanmate. Your destinies are intertwined, Spiritstar, but you will not act alone. I am with you, as is all of those you miss that are watching you from MoonClan." A black tom with gray patches materialized beside the red-pelted she-cat.

"That is right, my kit," Blackfog murmured softly. "Listen to your heart. Follow the path that has been laid out for you." She nodded obediently as both Redstar and Blackfog disappeared. Her amber gaze turned to Fog.

"Come with me to my Clan. I will decide what to do with you then."


End file.
